Suzhou is no doubt my favourite Chinese city even till date, and therefore I cannot be more thrilled to be writing this post! I absolutely have to split even the first day into two posts because it is getting wayyy too long because every corner and street is so different and photogenic. We reached 100 photos before breakfast. How! Is! That! Possible! :o It is... just look:
Fairytale boutique hotel... this is till date, my favourite find. We combed through Agoda, Trivago, etc for a long long time before we discovered this, HOMA Garden Hotel 荷马花园酒店. I really love the whole feel of this place, very very chill and relaxing with a lot of nature elements all around. It is also quite new and therefore, sparkling clean (this was 1 year ago, but looks like reviews on Agoda are still really fantastic). The best part is that it is super close to the major attraction in Suzhou, Pinjiang street. If you're looking for a water town in China around this region, this is the place to be. I absolutely loved every minute of this place~ OK pictures ~
HOMA Garden Hotel 荷马花园酒店
姑苏区干将东路558号平江路口, 观前街商业区, 苏州, 中国 215000
Room rate: SGD50/night
Fee includes breakfast, free wifi
3-min walk to Pinjiang street (morning + early afternoon), Lion garden (late afternoon)
He just can't stop taking pictures LOL same here.
Checking in! Heh ignore my fantastic fashion sense, it was really cold that night.
Very idyllic in the garden where you can have breakfast!
At this moment I was already so sad we only planned 1 full day in Suzhou, we got to come back (I always say that but the world is so big and we can only travel till we are 80).
So pretty everywhere!
Every corner is just making me sooo happy :)
You can have your breakfast here too :)
I was really impressed by this wall when we first entered the hotel.
❤
We finally made it outside the hotel and immediately saw this adorable doggy.
Hehe obviously super happy with the doggy
Super cute ❤
Some sights along the way before we reached Pinjiang street, or rather they call it PingJiang Historical Blocks, because it is not just one whole stretch of main street but there's a lot of alleyways to explore as well, which we will bring you along this journey~
This is the map.
This is me trying to see what are the main stops to see.. *No information stored* though because we ended up just going into every single store :)
Enjoy the water town of Suzhou through the best way, along Pinjiang street.
Rustic side of the river, where actual Suzhou residents stay. The other side is just pure touristy, but they did it in a very classy way that maintains the fun but no ugly, mass-produced touristy trinkets. There are not many people too, which is great for us.
There was even a photoshoot going on, this happens when the scenery is just too picturesque...!
Wander into the alleyways, but try not to get lost.
Do you see what I see... Starbucks!
While away mornings with a game of chess... such is life here.
Scent library?
We found one in the Tian Zi Fang of Shanghai as well.
Bookshops.. the feel of the whole place is just incredibly charming. I love this place so much.
Flowers for you, maybe? :)
You can mail out postcards "to the future" which we did, later at night :)
We discovered some osmanthus cake which was so lovely and sweet, with a light fragrance.. I miss this rustic taste so much.
Shopping is a wonderful experience here, I found many things I liked but they are quite expensive :( I regret not buying quite a few items here, so if you find anything you like.. don't hesitate!
How terrible, why does this thing exist? Smelly tofu, I still don't like you.
Let's have something more appetizing~ this cheesy pastry is quite good.
These dried flowers just bring so much cheer to the street!
Let me bring you somewhere~ this blue scooter does not belong to me but it looks so pretty in the bushes~
We walked into the alleyways to search for the entrance to Lion Garden.
Locals washing their laundry by the river. Literally.
Older folks in a serious game of chess.
More locals washing clothes.
They seemed to have a lot of laundry to do.
What are these plants?!
Our adventures! In an alleyway!
Truth be told I would be completely lost without him who led the way, all the way ❤
So much feelz
What about a cooler shot, ha
I finally found someone else to take self-timer act cool shots with me now
Their mail box?! Super rudimentary but cute!
And the journey continues... there are just too many pictures in this post, so let's continue in the next one, ok? :) Till the next post ❤
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I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @amie.hu and Facebook page!